We read many articles on ways to deal with difficult people but when faced with the task of dealing with these difficult people, it’s like all the tips we made up on our minds to use to successfully handle the situation escape our memories. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency shares 7 ways to deal with difficult people that are not only useful but easy to remember.
BE CALM
No matter what, don’t lose your temper. A calm person is seen as being in control, centered and more respectable. When a difficult person sees that you remain calm and unmoved despite what he/she is doing, you will start to get their attention. Remember, never lose your calm.
TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE PERSON’S INTENTION
Understanding can go a long way in helping you deal with difficult people. For most normal people, no one is really being difficult for the sake of being difficult, there’s usually an underlying reason (not matter how properly concealed) motivating them to act that way. Try to uncover and understand it because rarely is this motivation apparent.
TALK TO FAMILY, FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES
You do this to get another perspective on the matter because you might be blind to certain things due to how emotionally invested you are in the situation. These people will be able to see things from a different angle and offer a different (sometimes valuable) take on the situation.
TRY TO BUILD A RAPPORT WITH THEM
It might be difficult and take all the strength in the fiber of your being to do, but you have to try to build some rapport with them. In the end they are human beings, so try to get to know them as people, try to connect with them on a personal level. In the process, let them in on the reason behind your actions and give them the full background and details of all that’s happening; it might help them empathize with your situation. Sometimes they might be resistant and difficult to you because they think you are being resistant and difficult to them.
TREAT THEM RESPECTFULLY
It would be surprising if you treated a person like trash and they weren’t difficult and resistant to you. You should first be sure that you treat them with respect and see if that gesture melts their resolve and makes them less difficult and resistant to you.
BE WILLING TO COMPROMISE
If you want to move forward with a difficult person, you must learn focus on the things that can be actioned on. Don’t dwell on the things you cannot change, respect one another’s limits, be diplomatic and be willing to give up what you can to make a resolution.
IGNORE
If all your efforts to deal with these difficult people are futile and you consider them hopelessly negative and impossible to deal with, the best thing you can do is to ignore them. You’ve done what you can within your means, the next thing to do is to find a way around them to achieve your goal. If there is a higher authority you can escalate to, you can do so if you conclude that’s what you have to do.
